MAR 08
 |
||
 |
Strangelets in Geneva
As Albert Einstein famously put it :
“ If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it ? “
He would probably have been looking forward to the switch-on of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN later this year.
The data which the particle accelerator will produce are of course unknown - otherwise there would be little point in building it. Some of the results can be predicted though – according to current understanding of the physics involved – with varying levels of accuracy.
One of the possible outcomes is the production of ‘ strangelets ‘ – a hypothetical form of matter that contains roughly equal numbers of up, down, and strange quarks. Unfortunately, such a particle-grouping could ( again according to theory ) begin a runaway nuclear fusion process which would engulf the LHC, then CERN, then Switzerland, France, then the whole of Europe and eventually the entire planet.
Although the odds of such an occurrence are very remote ( about a one in fifty million chance according to Sir Martin Rees, the UK Astronomer Royal ) the stakes are admittedly rather high.
Too high for Dr. Wagner, a Hawaiian resident who filed a court injunction against the LHC's startup earlier this month
The odds against the legal action stopping the switch-on are about as remote as the production of strangelets though - as there’s no international agreement which would force CERN to abide by the court’s ruling.
New York Times story here
Dr. Wagner’s website here :
[ Editor's note : Let’s hope the risk-predictions are more accurate than the projected cost of the LHC – which was underestimated by roughly a factor of 5 . Ed. ]
31 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Link of the day
For those interested in philosophical and religious ' isms ' here is a free web-based guide - there are currently 210 listed.
Note : The list does not include art-based isms ( or wasms )
28 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
A mushroom dip into the archives.
Featuring : Mushroom Purchase Triggers.
A 2004 study from Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia asked the question - What triggers might persuade a consumer to purchase mushrooms ?
Perhaps on-packet-messages ? such as -
• Fresh mushrooms are a healthy food.
• Mushrooms are the low fat “other” white meat.
• Mushrooms are the man’s way of occasionally going vegetarian.
The study was conducted in the form of a 5-Cell Sequential Monadic Test involving nearly 1500 participants across the US.
And came to the following conclusions :
“ There are no simple conclusions that can be drawn from such a comprehensive research study. “
However, at least one sales-enhancing pointer did show up in the analysis :
“ Something on the product is better than nothing ( or just the company name ). “
27 MAR 08 ( late )
comments | permalink | back
to the top
“ I’m on the kerb . . . “
A plethora of scientific studies have proved that the average human can’t carry on a cellphone call and safely drive a car at the same time.
So much so that many countries have now outlawed the use of mobiles whilst driving.
But what about pedestrians ?
Can they talk on a mobile and cross the road at the same time ?
Safely ?
No, probably not, according to new research recently published in the journal of Accident Analysis & Prevention .
Experimenters asked 131 pedestrians ( students ) to cross an intersection whilst chatting ( to the experimenters ) on a mobile phone.
“ What did you have for breakfast ? ”
“ What did you have for lunch? ”
“ That's interesting. I had a hamburger, fries and a soda.”
etc etc etc
48% ‘ exhibited unsafe behaviour ’ e.g. walking in front of an approaching car.
( for the control group, without phones, it was just 16 % )
Read the report here :
Note : No students were harmed during the course of this experiment.
27 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
1337 Digits in Valencia
For readers who haven’t come across the concept of Leet ( written 31337, 1337, L337, 1337r0z, 13370rz, and l33t ), here’s the relevant Wikipedia page.
Although its use has become widespread since its origins in the 1980’s it has been the subject of very little formal scientific investigation – until now.
A new study, entitled ‘ R34D1NG W0RD5 W1TH NUMB3R5 ‘ has just been published in the latest edition of the journal Experimental Psychology
The researchers investigated the idea that :
NUMB3R5 C4N B3 U53D 4S L3TT3R5 1N 4 S3N73NC3, 4ND TH3 R35ULT1NG S3NT3NC3 C4N B3 R34D W1TH0UT GR34T 3FF0RT.
Results :
“ The results of the present experiments are clear-cut: When embedded in words, leet digits are encoded in a letter-like manner. “
The research paper is ‘ subscribers only ‘ but 2311¥ /\/\46421|\|3 has tracked down a copy here
25 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
EI in Regent’s Park
If you are :
An organizational development professional
An executive coach
A training and development professional
A human resource professional
A career counselor
A researcher
Or a student
and you have £1,495 to spare, you could enrol for a two-day MSCEIT Certification Workshop at the London School of Business, May 19-20 2008
“ London Business School develops successful leaders throughout the world who use our breakthrough insights to change fundamentally the way business is done. “
Notes :
• For readers who aren’t familiar with the MSCEIT test, it’s the Mayer, Salovey, Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test , details here :
• And for readers who aren’t familiar with Emotional Intelligence (EI), details here :
• Bear in mind though that as yet there’s no agreed definition of what ‘ intelligence ‘ is, and unfortunately, no agreed definition of what ‘ emotions ‘ are either.
But, as the inventors of the test point out “ If a test appears to measure what it is supposed to measure, it has face validity. “ [ their italics ]
For an alternative stance on the MSCEIT test, see
this viewpoint from the Universities of Haifa :
Princeton : Cincinnati :
“ . . . the ratio of hyperbole to hard evidence is rather high. “
“ The bandwagon may indeed be rolling toward a painful collision with reality. “
24 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Conducting research
The Human Media Interaction (HMI) group is part of the Department
of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS)
at the University
of Twente, in The Netherlands.
The department’s main focus is on ‘ interactions between human user and the machine ‘
As part of their investigations they have created a ‘ Virtual Conductor ‘ which “ leads musicians though tempo and dynamic changes – corrects tempo of musicians : follows them when they change tempo and then leads them back “
Like a real conductor, the avatar conductor takes its cues via audio feedback from the musicians – referenced to its knowledge of the piece being played.
“ The project serves as a novel interaction context in which new aspects of Human-Virtual Human interaction can be investigated. “
To gauge progress so far, be sure to watch :
• An explanatory video ( with virtual lady conductor ) here :
• Latest video ( with virtual gentleman conductor ) here :
21 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Semantic incoherence reconsidered again.
The Philosophy of Nonsense by Jean-Jacques Lecercle ( now professor of linguistics at the Université Paris X Nanterre ) was first published in 1994.
It examined ( in its 245 pages ) amphigorical contributions by, amongst others – Friedrich Nietzsche, Mervyn Peake, Martin Heidegger, Winston Churchill, The Yonghy-Bonghy-Bò , and Humpty Dumpty .
Now the author has brought nonsense-analysis right up to date with the publication of Translate it, translate it not in the journal ‘ Translation studies ‘.
The essay begins with :
“ . . . the impossibility of translating nonsense, due to its sheer lack of meaning, “
Then, en passant :
” It envisages the possibility of not translating a text that is always already translated . . . “
and leads to :
“ . . . a theory of nonsense as a genre that embodies the contradiction
between verbal chaos and verbal constraints, between the need for meaning
and the refusal of meaning . . . “
For more examples of nonsense see this page, as regurgitated by Really Magazine’s round-trip translation engine.
20 MAR 08 ( late )
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Precision twirling
Note : There’s also an instructional video available.
( Topics include: Positions & Spins, Adding Body, Starts & Stops,
Flourishes, Double Time Techniques and Tosses.)
20 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
19 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Medical wads
The latest issue of the journal Medical Hypotheses carries an interesting article which asks whether a radical new mechanism could be effective in persuading scientists to conduct more risky ( and so potentially more groundbreaking ) research.
The suggestion is that such effects might be achieved via money.
Lots of it.
Specifically, " mega-cash prizes ( measured in tens of millions of dollars ). "
Preferably, " to be awarded before the age of fifty. "
Notably, " Music, acting and sports are among the few fields in which young people can become fabulously rich while still young "
And, if musicians, actors and sportspersons can manage it, then why not scientists ?
The article is ‘ subscribers only ‘ ( yours for US $ 31.50 ) - but we have tracked down a copy on a blog maintained by the journal's Editor-in-Chief.
Some previous articles from Medical Hypotheses
• Can botulinum toxin put the restless legs syndrome to rest ?
• Is there an association between the use of heeled footwear and schizophrenia?
18 MAR 08 ( late edition )
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Jumping Californian Stick Insects
Timema chumash is the only stick insect ( known to science ) which “ . . . jumps by rapidly extending the tibiae of both its hind legs simultaneously from an initially fully flexed position “.
Researchers from the Department of Zoology, at the University of Cambridge, recently decided to investigate.
With the aid of high-speed video recordings it was discovered that the insect not only jumps forward ( with acceleration forces approaching 8g ) - but they can also jump backwards, and ( occasionally ) perform somersaults.
But why does this particular stick insect posses this unique talent ?
Research is still at the theoretical stage, but the professor in charge of the department suggests “ The jumping movements would appear to displace Timema in different directions away from a potential predator. “
Read an abstract here in the latest edition of Journal of Experimental Biology
and watch a ( necessarily ) short video here :
18 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Are we there yet ?
A new social-science investigation has just been completed by :
• The Institute of Geography, University of Edinburgh,
• The Department of Geosciences, University of Glasgow,
• The Department of Computing Science, University of Glasgow,
• The Department of Geography, University of Exeter,
• The Interactive Institute, Stockholm
• Tri, at Heriot Watt University,
• The Department of Computing, Brunel University,
• The London School of Economics,
• The Department of Sociology, University of Manchester,
• The Department of Computing Science, Brunel University,
• Microsoft Research, Cambridge
• The Department of Sociology, University of Lancaster,
• The IT University, Gothenberg
It examined a straightforward question :
“ What do we do in cars, and how do we do it ? “
Or, to clarify :
“ We spend ever-increasing periods of our lives travelling in cars, yet quite what it is we do while travelling, aside from driving the vehicle itself, is largely overlooked. “
In particular, the researchers set out to document an as yet under-investigated aspect of in-car activity, which the authors call ‘ passengering ‘ ( as distinct from ‘ driving ‘ )
With the aid of 24 video recordings compiled over a number of ordinary car journeys, the team were able to build up a unique picture of one of the main features of passengering, namely ‘ talk-in-cars ‘.
Several key features were identified – for example :
“ In the car you cannot walk away from nor walk into a conversation with another speaker. “
“ Backseat speakers commonly lean forward and into the gap between the frontseat speakers to launch or participate in conversations with them. “
“ Initiating or re-initiating conversations often
began with some sort of shuffling and a clearing of the throat. “
In some of the family-centric journeys, there were also several observed examples of -
“ Children squabbling “
and subsequent related “ Shushing ”
Perhaps not unexpectedly, there were some conversational detours too ( via Wogan ) [ explanational link here for non-UK readers ] along with what could be called talk-in-cars cul-de-sacs - linked, in part, to some precarious guest-host pairings.
“ Silences can be ‘short’, ‘long’, ‘ambiguous’ ‘preoccupied’ . . . or emerge specific to a topic “
But, in the end, after 25 pages, the 14 authors arrive at their destination - thus :
“ . . . we hope this article has served to open up the interior of the car, as it journeys, as a place of import for society and substantial interest for social science investigations. “
The paper is published in the latest issue of the journal ‘ Mobilities ‘ It’s ‘ subscribers only ‘, but Really Magazine has tracked down a free-access copy parked here :
17 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Everybody was ( foregrounding the performing body )
Readers who are interested in “ the development of interpretive socio-cultural understandings of the changing body-self-society complex “
can turn to the latest issue of the journal Sport in Society, for an article from the School of Sport and Health Sciences at Exeter university in the UK.
The essay focuses on martial arts films : and draws upon a range of sociological perspectives of the (male) body including “ ideas of a martial habitus as legitimate schemes of dispositions . . . “
and concludes that :
“ This focus leads to the emergence of three simple
but important categories of performing body within the genre: the martial-artist-as-actor,
the actor-as-martial-artist
and the 'enhanced' martial-artist-as-actor. “
[ What about the enchanced actor-as-martial-artist ? Ed. ]
Also don't miss : this
13 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Nothing less than 100%
Researchers randomly selected 50 Nobel Peace Prize speeches and ‘ content-analyzed ' them - to determine which values the speakers extolled most frequently.
The word ‘ Truth ‘ only appeared 38% of the time, and ‘ Responsibility ‘ 81% of the time. But the most common value-word was a clear winner – appearing in no less than 100% of the sampled speeches. ‘ Peace ‘.
The article was published in the penultimate issue of The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied.
Further research :
Really Magazine has conducted it’s own ( less scientific ) lexical frequency analysis on a Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech selected non-randomly. Here are the results :
Peace 12 occurrences
Carpet 0 occurrences
Bombing 0 occurrences
Cambodia 0 occurrences
Truth 0 occurrences
BackStory :
At the time, the recipient had just completed his lead role in organising
top-secret US airforce raids into Cambodia, which involved dropping more
than 2 million
tons of bombs [source below] , and continued over a period of four years.
Details of the numbers Cambodians killed during the bombing campaigns
are still not confirmed. Estimates varying from 30,000 to as high as 2,500,000.
begin your investigations here
and then go here for an update.
12 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Blue Sky Research encounters Lickable Wallpaper
The Journal of Management Education ‘ Explores the methods and theories behind management and organizational behaviour education ‘
The
latest edition ( April 2008, Volume 32, No. 2 ) has just been published,
and carries a thought-provoking article from the Open University Business School.
It examines the possibilities of teaching recruitment and selection to students of management theory – with the use of Roald Dahl's story ‘ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ‘ as a paradigmatic template.
The implications of Person–Organization fit (P–O fit) are discussed with reference to the way in which Willy Wonka uses ( or misuses ) Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) criteria to asses job applicants. Citing, for example, their ability to extract walnuts from their shells intact.
But, say the authors, “ His mistake is his failure to link these KSAs with performance in any convincing way “
The article goes on to suggest that students of management theory could benefit by examining issues brought up in the story.
For example by :
• Comparing the values of Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka.
• Asking to what extent the Oompa-Loompas can be considered an exploited workforce. [ see notes below ]
and -
• Examining the way in which Willy Wonka’s approach to recruitment and selection mirrors the culture of his organization.
The journal article is for subscribers only, but Really Magazine has tracked down another free-to-view article ( same authors / same subject ) here.
Notes:
The authors recommend referring to the 2005 film version of the story ( starring Johnny Depp ) rather than the book – which, in its original format has been criticised for portraying a certain amount of what some have called ‘ racist baggage ‘ - particularly with regard to the Oompa-Loompas . [ reference ]
11 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Spot the sample # 8
No-one twigged our Spot the Sample #7 competition ( answer in link below ) so we've placed a new sample, cunningly entitled Spot the Sample #8.
Expre$$ions of intere$t
Attention all local councils ( and councilors ) in the UK. There’s still time to apply to the government for ‘ Siting Partnerships ‘ !
There are £ Millions Billions [*1] in ( taxpayer's ) cash up for grabs !
In case you haven’t come across the concept of ‘ Siting Partnerships ‘ they are :
“ open and transparent partnerships with potential host communities “
In this case the ‘ hosting ‘ will involve 470,000 cubic metres of medium and high-level nuclear waste [*2] – to be buried somewhere in the chosen district.
Now, it’s true that it will remain über-toxic and highly radioactive for some tens ( possibly hundreds ) of thousands of years – but consider the payback, enough to build schools, hospitals, visitor centres, and golf courses leisure facilities !
( And who knows, perhaps there might even be enough left over for a bronze bust or two ! )
Which lucky council will end up claiming the bounty ?
Really Magazine isn’t sure, but we’re betting heavily that it won’t be :
• Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath in Scotland ( the prime minister’s constituency )
• Westminster ( the UK’s richest borough ), or
• anywhere near the residences of the key civil servants who came up with the scheme.
A government ‘ white paper ‘ with further details of the scheme is expected to be released on April the 1st or soon afterwards.
Read the latest govt. info here
*1 Note :
The exact level of compensation hasn’t been announced yet - but it’s expected to be somewhere in the region of 5% of the total costs of the ' disposal ' . . .
Unfortunately, the total cost of the ' disposal ' hasn’t been calculated yet either . . .
In fact, the methods which might be used haven’t quite been fully finalised as yet . . .
But the costs to the taxpayers will certainly run into tens of billions of pounds.
Think hundreds of billions to be on the safe side.
Oh, and there could perhaps be some more waste generation on the horizon . . .
*2 Note :
Includes roughly 70 tonnes of Plutonium, enough to make around 11,000 Nagasaki -sized N-weapons.
10 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
More on interstellar trading.
Following on neatly from yesterday’s note about research at Berry College - into the possibilities of interstellar trading - comes a press-release from the University of Leicester in the UK announcing their involvement with an interstellar ad-campaign.
With the university’s help, on June the 12th a 30 second video ad ( for Doritos ™ ) will be digitally broadcast towards ' 47 Ursae Majoris ' - due to arrive there sometime around year 2050.
“ Broadcasting an advert extra-terrestrially is
a big and exciting step for everyone on Earth “
“ There could also be potential commercial interest in enterprises like this. “
؟ ؟ ؟
Further reading : about circuses and media-management from the PR
company which is handling the
publicity.
08 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
The unimaginable in pursuit of the intangible
“ The pursuit of easy things makes us weak. It is the pursuit of the difficult that makes us strong.”
The quote is attributed to Martha Berry, founder of Berry College in Georgia US.
And there can be few academic research projects more difficult than trying to figure out what might happen several hundred, or even several thousand years into the future.
That has not deterred Berry College's Associate Professor of Government from publishing an appraisal of trading prospects, not just far far into the future – but with alien nations lightyears away.
The paper outlines two difficulties which humans may well encounter if they try to trade with interplanetary or even interstellar partners.
The first is the truly enormous distances involved – which the professor points out “ will reduce all or nearly all trade to the exchange of intangible goods. “
Presumably, ‘ intangible goods ‘ might mean electromagnetically transferable items such as information, intellectual property, artistic output etc etc. But this leads on to the second problem.
Who, or what, would our future-generation entrepreneurs be dealing with ? How likely is it that the alien creatures might understand our intangible products – or even want them at all ?
“ Cultural distance is a probable obstacle to initiating and sustaining such trade. “
See an abstract of the article here in the latest issue of the peer-reviewed journal AstroPolitics
Reader Marco kindly alerts us to more science-fictional works on interstellar trade :
You want The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley. There are a lot of science fiction stories related to the idea of interstellar data trade, but John Varley has a way of throwing everything in /and/ the kitchen sink, and I just like that one best. Also see A Deepness In The Sky by Vernor Vinge; it's a several-thousand-year prequel to A Fire Upon The Deep. Fine stories. Interstellar trade on a grand scale.
07 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Lowering the bar
In recent years, a good deal of media attention has been focussed on problems caused by excessive drinking amongst youngsters. But now new research has identified another at-risk group, underlining the dangers of disproportionate alcohol consumption in the elderly.
The study examined records of over 2,000 Medicare™ beneficiaries and found that ‘ Risky Drinking ‘ ( for the over 65s ) can reduce a person’s ability to function, increase the risk of falls, and negatively interact with medication .
“ Risky drinking among those 65 years and older occurs when a person consumes more than seven drinks per week or more than three drinks on a single day. “
And, of those surveyed, 9% fell into the risky set.
The research was carried out at Brandeis University.
؟ ؟ ؟
Today’s press release here :
06 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
The Blue Screen of the Apocalypse
Not many religious philosophers have examined the possible links between the concepts of The Apocalypse and advances promised by Artificial Intelligence. (A.I.)
But a new research paper from Manhattan College, New York – just published in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion – does just that.
The author compiles, compares and analyses spectacular pronouncements from both A.I. visionaries and traditional religious groups :
Such as :
“ Human beings will cast off the limitations
of their bodies for mechanical and virtual bodies that will live forever
in eternal bliss. “
“ Having downloaded their consciousnesses into
machines, human beings will possess enhanced mental abilities and, through
their infinite replicability,
immortality. “
“ Reconfigured bodies will combine humanity with the divine glory of the celestial realm. “
“ The new world will dissolve sadness and bring humanity into contact with the divine. “
The paper seems to overlook though the tricky problem of what might happen to all the surplus human-beings ‘ left over ‘ after such a transformation – which presumably wouldn’t include everyone on the planet . . .
However, with computation / robotics / A.I. in mind, the following revelation from the paper does take on a whole new set of possible meanings :
“ A loud bang accompanies both the beginning and the end of the world. In the final days, there will be war and pain and sorrow and false prophets and much gnashing of teeth. “
Read the full paper here :
05 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
The Origins of Jams
“ . . . it is commonly believed that a bottleneck causes a traffic jam. “
However, is it possible to have a traffic jam without a bottleneck ?
Yes, say researchers from the Many Body System Group at Nagoya University, Japan.
To prove their point the researchers adopted a refreshingly real-world approach – as opposed to a computer-software models that many would have chosen for such an investigation.
They built a 230 metre-long circular track and asked 22 car drivers to drive around it at a constant 30 km/h.
They failed.
Because, sure enough, clearly defined ‘ stop and go ‘ waves of congestion soon started to appear.
“ In short, traffic flow is a non-equilibrium physical system consisting of moving particles with asymmetric interaction of exclusive effect. “
Or, as their press release reveals, the real origin of traffic jams is often -
" simply the result of there being too many cars on the road. "
Read the full research article, published today in the New Journal of Physics , here
Reader Elizabeth comments :
How annoying! They beat me to it! My research on the M25 predates theirs by many years.
Editor's Supplementary note :
Sao Paulo, Brazil, which Really
Magazine believes to be
the traffic jam capital of the world, routinely sees nose-to-tail jams of
100km or so. On
bad days it sometimes reaches 170Km. The new research may well be of use
to the city's planners, with the suggestion that the number of vehicles
could be a very significant factor.
Update 11 Mar.
Today saw the biggest jam in the city's history -
at 186 km ( source: TV Globo )
04 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Spot the sample # 7
No one's got it yet, so we've increased the sample-length a bit . . .
Once upon a time . . .
There was a naughty website which sometimes published items about alleged skullduggeries and wrongdoings.
One day, a cheeky person posted details of what they said was a possible alleged purported misdeed by a Swiss bank - which they implied might perhaps possibly have been facilitating money-laundering operations for the ultra rich ( to the tune of $4.5B or so, via anonymizing offshore shell structures ).
Who could credit it ?
Now, the bank told a very very very high up and big powerful legal judge, and he said that the naughtiness had gone too far - and ordered that the entire website be shut down immediately – which it was.
But . . . the website had a ‘ special magic copying mirror ‘ in Belgium.
And another one in Spain, and Sweden, and Germany, and China, and India, and Japan, and Laos, and East Timor, and Western Samoa, and New Zealand, and even one located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, 2600 kilometres northwest of Perth in Western Australia and 500 kilometres south of Jakarta, Indonesia.
On a little rocky isle called Christmas Island . . .
So, before you could say ' un-numbered letterbox account ' several thousand people went to have a good look at the puported indictments. Which they would never have even noticed without the judge's help.
The bank was very very cross, and wished it had kept quiet.
؟ ؟ ؟
The moral of this story is : People who live in glass buildings should never try to herd cats.
Update : 06 Mar. An astonishingly similar example of cat herding is now on hold.
01 MAR 08
comments | permalink | back
to the top
advertising
|
Editor's picksThe territoriality of park benches re-appraised using ANT
|
|
|
 |
BBC Radio 4
"the world's best radio station"
The
Big Tie Shop
"the world's best Big Ties"
De Cecco
"the world's best commercially produced pasta"
New Scientist
"the world's best weekly science magazine"
OFFER CLOSED
Crooke's Radiometer (virtual)
Duvel
"the world's best beer"
"the world's best Sciencebase"
The "DoDo"
( Cassina )
"the world's best chair"
Firefox
"the world's best web-browser"
Bösendorfer
"the world's best pianos"
! Ltd.
"the world's best
! company"
